6 Weird Alcoholic Drinks from Around the World

So, youâ€™re sick of drinking boring old beer and wine every day? You feel like trying something completely new and exciting? Well, youâ€™ll have a tough time finding more interesting drinks than the six crazy concoctions youâ€™re about to discover:

Chicha

One of the oldest beverages on Earth, Chica is a maize-derived drink prepared in several South-American countries. Discoveries show Chicha has been consumed for thousands of years, since the time of the Inca, but, nowadays its popularity had decreased considerably and only a few villages in Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Costa Rica still prepare it.

Traditional Chicha-makers grind the maize and then chew it to moisturize it. After the human saliva breaks down the starch, the balls of chewed maze are put in large clay vats and warm water is added. After several days of fermentation, Chicha is ready to be consumed. With just 1-3% alcohol, Chicha is not the strongest drink you can try.

Kumis

Very popular among the people living in the plains of Central Asia, Kumis is a fermented drink made from mareâ€™s milk. Described by Herodotus in the 5th century BC, Kumis, just like Chicha, is very old.

To make this unusual dairy product, mare milk is fermented for hours or days, while stirred so it doesnâ€™t coagulate. Traditionally, the mareâ€™s milk was kept in a horse-hide tied to the saddle and bounced around for a dayâ€™s ride. Nowadays it is made in wooden vats and, because mare milk is scarce, industrial-producers use cow milk with added sucrose. Kumis is not a very potent drink, containing between 0.7 and 2.5% alcohol.

Lizard Wine

It might sound repulsing, but lizard wine is a very popular drink in China. Itâ€™s prepared by adding ginseng and Geko lizards into a clay vat, full of fermenting rice wine. After 12 months, the mixture is strained and green liquor is obtained.

Lizard wine tastes a lot like brandy and is said to improve eye-sight and ward of evil spirits.

Baby Mouse Wine

Very popular in China and Korea, baby mouse wine is a considered a cure for anything from the common cold to liver problems. Think of it as cheap remedy for people who canâ€™t afford to visit a doctor.

Baby mouse wine is prepared by drowning a large number of baby mice in vats full of rice wine. The critters mustnâ€™t be more than 2-3 days old, to ensure the drink ends up being fur-free. The mixture is stored in a dark, dry space for about a year before it can be consumed.

Just one or two glasses of baby mouse wine are enough to get you hammered, but because of its horrible smell and taste, most people shouldnâ€™t have to worry about that.

Snake drinks

Just like baby mouse wine, snake liquors are considered powerful cures for a wide array of illnesses, ranging from impotence to hair loss. These drinks are found in the markets of various countries from south-east Asia.

Odd liquors like snake whiskey and snake sake, contain the most poisonous snakes, including several species of Cobra.

Seagull Wine

The weirdest and probably most disgusting drink on our list is also the simplest. Before I explain how itâ€™s made, keep in mind that it was invented by Eskimos and they donâ€™t really have the luxury of fermenting different types of food in order to get wasted.

Now, as I was saying, seagull wine is so simple you could make it yourself, if you wanted to. But believe me, you donâ€™t. You take a dead seagull, stuff it into a bottle (donâ€™t ask me how), pour water over it and leave it in the sun until itâ€™s done fermenting. Thatâ€™s it.

Donâ€™t expect a taste similar to the finest whiskey, after all, weâ€™re talking about a fermented seagull. But it packs quite a punch.

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So, youâ€™re sick of drinking boring old beer and wine every day? You feel like trying something completely new and exciting? Well, youâ€™ll have a tough time finding more interesting drinks than the six crazy concoctions youâ€™re about to discover: Chicha One of the oldest beverages on Earth, Chica is a maize-derived drink prepared in […]

So, youâ€™re sick of drinking boring old beer and wine every day? You feel like trying something completely new and exciting? Well, youâ€™ll have a tough time finding more interesting drinks than the six crazy concoctions youâ€™re about to discover: Chicha One of the oldest beverages on Earth, Chica is a maize-derived drink prepared in […]

So, youâ€™re sick of drinking boring old beer and wine every day? You feel like trying something completely new and exciting? Well, youâ€™ll have a tough time finding more interesting drinks than the six crazy concoctions youâ€™re about to discover: Chicha One of the oldest beverages on Earth, Chica is a maize-derived drink prepared in […]

So, youâ€™re sick of drinking boring old beer and wine every day? You feel like trying something completely new and exciting? Well, youâ€™ll have a tough time finding more interesting drinks than the six crazy concoctions youâ€™re about to discover: Chicha One of the oldest beverages on Earth, Chica is a maize-derived drink prepared in […]

So, youâ€™re sick of drinking boring old beer and wine every day? You feel like trying something completely new and exciting? Well, youâ€™ll have a tough time finding more interesting drinks than the six crazy concoctions youâ€™re about to discover: Chicha One of the oldest beverages on Earth, Chica is a maize-derived drink prepared in […]

So, youâ€™re sick of drinking boring old beer and wine every day? You feel like trying something completely new and exciting? Well, youâ€™ll have a tough time finding more interesting drinks than the six crazy concoctions youâ€™re about to discover: Chicha One of the oldest beverages on Earth, Chica is a maize-derived drink prepared in […]

40 comments on “6 Weird Alcoholic Drinks from Around the World”

Philip Jonessays on August 20, 2009 at 2:24 am:

‘Same old beer and wine’ ???? Did you really write that?

Beer I don’t have time for but how can good wine ever be boring? I suggest you change your identity quickly before the ‘wine aficionados lynch mobs’ find you. You have doubtless been tried and found guilty ‘in absence’.

If the catch you then you can fully expect the same fate as the seagull in seagull wine.

Personally I think you could do no better than to ferment in a nice St Emillion or if the sea breeze is more to your taste then a Bordeaux proper which is a little closer to the ocean. Then again, my home area in Haute Savoie might serve you well. There are some white wines that wont stain the skin. A little on the acid side for my liking though.

Boring wine indeed.

You will recognise the lynch mobs easily enough. They have a sort of ‘staggered’ march.

[…] were perusing some lists of shockingly exotic alcohol beverages. Nestled among the Baby Mouse Wine and the Mare’s Milk Wine, we found, at long last, the beer made with human saliva. It is […]

Anonymoussays on January 20, 2010 at 12:20 am:

“Baby Mouse Wine

Very popular in China and Korea, baby mouse wine is a considered a cure for anything from the common cold to liver problems. Think of it as cheap remedy for people who canâ€™t afford to visit a doctor.”
Your knowledge in the asian alcoholic beverage is certainly not up to a level where you can even start writing an article about this – baby mouse wine is seldom drunken in China, yes, but it is most certainly not popular. And the very existent of baby mouse wine in Korea is ridiculous. You may want to research a bit more.

[…] 6 Weird Alcoholic Drinks from Around the World So, youâ€™re sick of drinking boring old beer and wine every day? You feel like trying something completely new and exciting? Well, youâ€™ll have a tough time finding more interesting drinks than the six crazy concoctions youâ€™re about to discover. […]

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By Stefan Chan

Stefan lives in Sydney, Australia and has travelled all over Asia and the United States. He is a lover of all things pop-culture having made the trek to Comic-Con in San Diego a couple of times and always looking for an adventure!

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